DON’T TURN YOUR FACE MASKS INTO PETRI DISHES Tips for Proper Care and Cleaning In the span of a few months, face masks went from being something Americans only saw in hospital settings to an item we can’t leave home without. Since everyday use of face masks is still relatively new in the United States, here are some answers from Johns Hopkins Medicine to common questions regarding the proper care and cleaning of your face mask. ‘How often should I clean my face mask?’ Disposable, surgical face masks cannot be cleaned. Johns Hopkins recommends throwing surgical masks away when they are “visibly soiled or damaged.” If you wear a reusable fabric face mask, then you should wash your mask after each day of use to help prevent bacterial growth. ‘What’s the best way to clean my face mask?’ Earlier this year, a video circulated on social media claiming that you could use a rice cooker to sanitize disposable face masks. This claim is untrue. As stated previously, disposable face masks cannot be cleaned. However, fabric face masks, especially those made of cotton, can be washed with the rest of your laundry. Run them through the washing machine with hot water, then tumble dry on high heat. If you are sensitive to perfumes, use an unscented laundry detergent. ‘Is it safe to hand-wash face masks?’ Since fabric face masks need to be washed after each use, running a wash cycle just to clean a couple of masks can feel pretty wasteful — like doing a load of laundry only to wash the socks you wore yesterday. The Johns Hopkins Medicine website states that you can hand-wash your face masks if needed. Use hot, soapy water to wash your masks, scrub the mask for at least 20 seconds, and dry on high heat in your dryer. ‘Where should I store my cloth face masks when I’m not wearing them?’ Put used cloth face masks directly into the laundry basket when you arrive home to ensure they get cleaned in a timely manner and to prevent you from accidentally spreading germs. Have a sanitized place designated to store clean face masks only. Avoid putting face masks in your pocket or purse.
Fighting for a Premature Loss of Life Losing a parent is one of the hardest things we can experience, and that is made all the harder when we lose a parent far too early. Unfortunately, these grievous moments do occur in life. Yet, when a loss of life is caused by the negligence of another, this tragedy is far worse. Here is a case our firm recently settled, where our team fought for the rights of one such family who lost a wonderful family member. THE HURT CAUSED BY NEGLIGENCE Case Facts: While driving westbound on FM 3354 in Nueces County, Texas, our clients’ mother began merging onto U.S. Highway 77. The defendant, driving a 1996 Freightliner Tractor, was speeding as he headed northbound on 77; that’s when our clients’ mother crossed over onto the highway. Because the defendant had failed to keep the speed of the trailer at a reasonable pace, he was forced to take evasive maneuvers in an attempt to avoid a collision — which proved to be ineffective. The trailer collided with the vehicle, resulting in a crash that caused our client’s mother to sustain fatal injuries.
FIRE SAFETY MONTH Some Helpful Tips
Face masks are supposed to help keep us all healthy. Follow these tips to make sure your mask doesn’t become a petri dish.
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